EXHIBIT 4
SECTIONS 85 TO 98 OF MASSACHUSETTS BUSINESS CORPORATION LAW
85 PAYMENT FOR STOCK OF DISSENTING STOCKHOLDER. A stockholder in any
corporation organized under the laws of Massachusetts which shall have duly
voted to consolidate or merge with another corporation or corporations under the
provisions of sections seventy-eight or seventy-nine who objects to such
consolidation or merger may demand payment for his stock from the resulting or
surviving corporation and an appraisal in accordance with the provisions of
sections eighty-six to ninety-eight, inclusive, and such stockholder and the
resulting or surviving corporation shall have the rights and duties and follow
the procedure set forth in those sections. This section shall not apply to the
holders of any shares of stock of a constituent corporation surviving a merger
if, as permitted by subsection (c) of section seventy-eight, the merger did not
require for its approval a vote of the stockholders of the surviving
corporation.
86 RIGHT OF APPRAISAL. If a corporation proposes to take a corporate
action as to which any section of this chapter provides that a stockholder who
objects to such action shall have the right to demand payment for his shares and
an appraisal thereof, sections eighty-seven to ninety-eight, inclusive, shall
apply except as otherwise specifically provided in any section of this chapter.
Except as provided in sections eighty-two and eighty-three, no stockholder shall
have such right unless (1) he files with the corporation before the taking of
the vote of the stockholders on such corporate action, written objection to the
proposed action stating that he intends to demand payment for his shares if the
action is taken and (2) his shares are not voted in favor of the proposed
action.
87 NOTICE OF STOCKHOLDERS MEETING TO CONTAIN STATEMENT AS TO APPRAISAL
RIGHTS. The notice of the meeting of stockholders at which the approval of such
proposed action is to be considered shall contain a statement of the rights of
objecting stockholders. The giving of such notice shall not be deemed to create
any rights in any stockholder receiving the same to demand payment for his
stock, and the directors may authorize the inclusion in any such notice of a
statement of opinion by the management as to the existence or non-existence of
the right of the stockholders to demand payment for their stock on account of
the proposed corporate action. The notice may be in such form as the directors
or officers calling the meeting deem advisable, but the following form of notice
shall be sufficient to comply with this section:
"If the action proposed is approved by the stockholders at the meeting and
effected by the corporation, any stockholder (1) who files with the
corporation before the taking of the vote on the approval of such action,
written objection to the proposed action stating that he intends to demand
payment for his shares if the action is taken and (2) whose shares are not
voted in favor of such action has or may have the right to demand in
writing from the corporation (or, in the case of a consolidation or merger,
the name of the resulting or surviving corporation shall be inserted),
within twenty days after the date of mailing to him of notice in writing
that the corporate action has become effective, payment for his shares and
an appraisal of the value thereof. Such corporation and any such
stockholders shall in such cases have the rights and duties and shall
follow the procedure set forth in sections 88 to 98, inclusive, of chapter
156B of the General Laws of Massachusetts."
88 NOTICE OF OBJECTING STOCKHOLDER THAT CORPORATE ACTION HAS BECOME
EFFECTIVE. The corporation taking such action, or in the case of a merger or
consolidation the surviving or resulting corporation, shall, within ten days
after the date on which such corporate action became effective, notify each
stockholder who filed written objection meeting the requirements of section
eighty-six and whose shares were not voted in favor of the approval of such
action, that the action approved at the meeting of the corporation of which he
is a stockholder has become effective. The giving of such notice shall not be
deemed to create any rights in any stockholder receiving the same to demand
payment of his stock. The notice shall be sent by registered or certified mail,
addressed to the stockholder at his last know address as it appears in the
records of the corporation.
89 DEMAND FOR PAYMENT BY OBJECTING STOCKHOLDER. If within twenty days
after the date of mailing a notice under subsection (e) of section eighty-two,
subsection (f) of section eighty-three, or section eighty-eight any stockholder
to whom the corporation taking such action, or in the case of a consolidation or
merger from the resulting or surviving the corporation, payment for his stock,
the corporation upon which such demand is made shall pay to him the fair value
of his stock within thirty days after the expiration of the period during which
such demand may be made.
90 DETERMINATION OF VALUE OF STOCK BY SUPERIOR COURT. If during the
period of thirty days provided for in section eighty-nine the corporation upon
which such demand is made and any such objecting stockholder fail to agree as to
the value of such stock, such corporation or any such stockholder may within
four months after the expiration of such thirty-day period demand a
determination of the value of the stock of all such objecting stockholders by a
bill in equity filed in the superior court in the county where the corporation
in which such objecting stockholder held stock had or has its principal office
in the commonwealth.
91 BILL IN EQUITY TO DETERMINE VALUE OF STOCK OF OBJECTING STOCKHOLDERS
ON FAILURE TO AGREE ON VALUE THEREOF, ETC.; PARTIES TO BILL ETC.; SERVICE OF
BILL ON CORPORATION; NOTICE TO STOCKHOLDER PARTIES, ETC. If the bill is filed
by the corporation, it shall name as parties respondent all stockholders who
have demanded payment for their shares and with whom the corporation has not
reached agreement as to the value thereof. If the bill is filed by a
stockholder, he shall bring the bill in his own behalf and in behalf of all
other stockholders who have demanded payment for their shares and with whom the
corporation has not reached agreement as to the value thereof, and service of
the bill shall be made upon the corporation by subpoena with a copy of the bill
annexed. The corporation shall file with its answer a duly verified list of all
such other stockholders, and such stockholders shall thereupon be deemed to have
been added as parties to the bill. The corporation shall give notice in such
form and returnable on such date as the court shall order to each stockholder
party to the bill by registered or certified mail, addressed to the last known
address of such stockholder as shown in the record of the corporation, and the
court may order such additional notice by publication or otherwise as it deems
advisable. Each stockholder who makes demand as provided in section eighty-nine
shall be deemed to have consented to the provisions of this section relating to
notice, and the giving of notice by the corporation to any such stockholder in
compliance with the order of the court shall be a sufficient service of process
on him. Failure to give notice to any stockholder making demand shall not
invalidate the proceedings as to other stockholders to whom notice was properly
given, and the court may at any time before the entry of a final decree make
supplementary orders of notice.
92 BILL IN EQUITY TO DETERMINE VALUE OF STOCK OF OBJECTING STOCKHOLDERS
ON FAILURE TO AGREE ON VALUE THEREOF, ETC.; ENTRY OF DECREE DETERMINING VALUE OF
STOCK; DATE ON WHICH VALUE IS TO BE DETERMINED. After hearing the court shall
enter a decree determining the fair value of the stock of those stockholders who
have become entitled to the valuation of and payment for their shares, and shall
order the corporation to make payment of such value, together with interest, if
any, as hereinafter provided, to the stockholders entitled thereto upon the
transfer by them to the
corporation of the certificates representing such stock if certificated or if
uncertificated, upon receipt of an instruction transferring such stock to the
corporation. For this purpose, the value of the shares shall be determined as of
the day preceding the date of the vote approving the proposed corporate action
and shall be exclusive of any element of value arising from the expectation or
accomplishment of the proposed corporate action.
93 BILL IN EQUITY TO DETERMINE VALUE OF STOCK OF OBJECTING STOCKHOLDERS
ON FAILURE TO AGREE ON VALUE THEREOF, ETC.; COURT MAY REFER BILL, ETC., TO
SPECIAL MASTER TO HEAR PARTIES, ETC. The court in its discretion may refer the
bill or any question arising thereunder to a special master to hear the parties,
make findings and report the same to the court, all in accordance with the usual
practice in suits in equity in the superior court.
94 BILL IN EQUITY TO DETERMINE VALUE OF STOCK OF OBJECTING STOCKHOLDERS
ON FAILURE TO AGREE ON VALUE THEREOF, ETC.; STOCKHOLDER PARTIES MAY BE REQUIRED
TO SUBMIT THEIR STOCK CERTIFICATES FOR NOTATION THEREON OF PENDENCY OF BILL,
ETC. On motion the court may order stockholder parties to the bill to submit
their certificates of stock to the corporation for notation thereon of the
pendency of the bill, and may order the corporation to not such pendency in its
records with respect to any uncertificated shares held by such stockholder
parties, and may on motion dismiss the bill as to any stockholder who fails to
comply with such order.
95 BILL IN EQUITY TO DETERMINE VALUE OF STOCK OF OBJECTING STOCKHOLDERS
ON FAILURE TO AGREE ON VALUE THEREOF, ETC.; TAXATION OF COSTS, ETC; INTEREST ON
AWARD, ETC. The costs of the bill, including the reasonable compensation and
expenses of any master appointed d by the court, but exclusive of fees of
counsel or of experts retained by any party, shall be determined by the court
and taxed upon the parties to the bill, or any of them, in such manner as
appears to be equitable, except that all costs of giving notice to stockholders
as provided in this chapter shall be paid by the corporation. Interest shall be
paid upon any award from the date of the vote approving the proposed corporate
action, and the court may on application on any interested party determine the
amount of interest to be paid in the case of any stockholder.
96 STOCKHOLDER DEMANDING PAYMENT FOR STOCK NOT ENTITLED TO NOTICE OF
STOCKHOLDERS' MEETING OR TO VOTE STOCK OR TO RECEIVE DIVIDENDS, ETC.;
EXCEPTIONS. Any stockholder who has demanded payment for his stock as provided
in this chapter shall not thereafter be entitled to notice of any meeting of
stockholders or to vote such stock for any purpose and shall not be entitled to
the payment of dividends or other distribution on the stock (except dividends or
other distributions payable to stockholders of record at a date which is prior
to the date of the vote approving the proposed corporate action) unless:
(1) A bill shall not be filed with the time provided in section
ninety;
(2) A bill, if filed, shall be dismissed as to such stockholder; or
(3) Such stockholder shall with the written approval of the
corporation, or in the case of a consolidation or merger, the resulting or
surviving corporation, deliver to it a written withdrawal of his objections
to and an acceptance of such corporate action.
Notwithstanding the provisions of clauses (1) to (3), inclusive, said
stockholder shall have only the rights of a stockholder who did not so demand
payment for his stock as provided in this chapter.
97 CERTAIN SHARES PAID FOR BY CORPORATION TO HAVE STATUS OF TREASURY
STOCK, ETC. The shares of the corporation paid for by the corporation pursuant
to the provisions of this chapter shall have the status of treasury stock or in
the case of a consolidation or merger the shares or the securities of the
resulting or surviving corporation into which the shares of such objecting
stockholder would have been converted had he not objected to such consolidation
or merger shall have the status of treasury stock or securities.
98 ENFORCEMENT BY STOCKHOLDER OF RIGHT TO RECEIVE A PAYMENT FOR HIS
SHARES TO BE EXCLUSIVE REMEDY; EXCEPTION. The enforcement by a stockholder of
his right to receive payment for his shares in the manner provided in this
chapter shall be an exclusive remedy except that this chapter shall not exclude
the right of such stockholder to bring or maintain an appropriate proceeding to
obtain relief on the ground that such corporate action will be or is illegal or
fraudulent as to him.